Railway brake apparatus.



IPATENTED MAY 23, 1905.

I 0. J. FISHER. RAILWAY BRAKE APPARATUS. APPLIUATION FILED SEPT. 12 1904.

. 0% AW aw v. 3 mw fi 1 v M a F MW- UNITED STATES Patented May 23, 1eo5.

PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES J. FISHER, OF MURPHYSBORO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO FISHER SLACK ADJUSTER AND RAILWAY EQUIPMENT COMPANY, on MUR- PHYSBORO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

RAILWAY BRAKE APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent 0. 790,493, dated May 23, 1905.

I Application filed September 12, 1904- Serial No. 224,212.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES J. FISHER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Murphysboro, in the county of Jackson and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway Brake Apparatus; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in brake apparatus.

The object of the invention is to improve the construction of the apparatus shown and described in Letters Patent of the United States No. 759,687, issued to me May 10,

1904:, whereby a more simple, durable, and efficient construction will be provided, the

number of parts of which will be diminished, and the operation made practically noisless.

A further object is to provide means whereby the push-rod will be held against casual movement, which would result in the same taking up slack whenit should not do so.

which is the same as that shown and described In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical sectlonal view of a brake-cylinder, push-rod, and the immediate parts, showing the improved construction. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail sectional view of the outer end of the push-rod extension and the retaining-latch, showing the improved means for controlling the same.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings is shown a brakecylinder and slack-adjusting mechanism, the construction, arrangement, and operation of levers.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 denotes the brake-cylinder, in which is arranged a piston 2, having riveted thereto a hollow piston-rod 3, around which is coiled the release-spring 4E and on the outer end of which is secured a disk 5. Arranged within and adapted to be connected to the hollow piston-rod '3 is a sleeve or casing 6, in which is adapted to slide a push-bar 7, having pivotally connected thereto the cylinder-lever 8. These parts are adapted to be forced out upon application of air to the cylinder.

The push-bar 7 is formed with an extension 9, which is adapted to slide in and to be guided by a bracket or hanger 10, fixed on the under side of the car. The construction and operation of the push-bar 7 and extension 9 is the same as shown and described in my prior patent hereinbefore mentioned, and on the outer end of the extension 9 is arranged aretaining-latch 12, corresponding to the retaining-latch 15 shown in said patent, and which is adapted to be engaged with and released from the ratchet-teeth of the extension 9 by means of a bell-crank lever 13. Said bellcrank lever 18 is constructed and mounted similar to the lever 27 shown in said prior patent, except that the guide-pin 30 and spring 31 are done away with in this instance, and in place of the same a weight in the form of a lateralextension or arm 14 is formed on the bell-crank lever, whereby the retaining-latch will be normally engaged with teeth of the push-bar.

To the upright arm of the bell-crank lever is connected one end of a short operating-rod 15, on the opposite end of which is formed a handle 16, whereby said bell-crank lever is manually operated to release the retaining-. latch from engagement with the push-bar, which has been found to be necessary and desirable only for the purpose of applying new brake-shoes, whereas in the case of the prior patent the retaining-latch was automatically engaged and disengaged with each applicationof the brakes, which resulted in unnecessary wear on the teeth of the rack-bar and on the latch, making the same less durable and more likely to get out of order. The rod 15 is adapted to be slidably mounted in a guide bracket or loop 17, secured to the under side of the car.

In the bracket or hanger 10 is arranged a concussion lock or clutch which is adapted to be used in connection with the Stevens system of brake-levers, as is shown in my prior patent, to hold the push-bar 8 from moving forward and taking up slack when pressure is removed from the same, as when the brakes are applied by hand or at any other time When the push-bar is not otherwise held and liable to be jarred forwardly, thereby causing the same to take up slack when it should not do so. The concussion lock or clutch consists of a bell-crank lever 18, pivotally mounted in the bracket or hanger 1O adjacent to the bell crank lever 13. The lower short arm of the bell-crank lever 18 is in the form of a downwardly-curved foot or clutch member 19, which is adapted to be engaged with upper side of the push-bar adjacent to the inner side of the bracket 10. On the opposite side of the bell-crank lever is formed a downwardly-curved stop-lug 20, which is adapted to be engaged with the upper wall of the guide-passage, formed in the bracket 10, thereby limiting the rearward movement of the lever. To the upper end of the long arm of the bell-crank lever is connected the end of an operatingrod 21, the opposite end of which is slidably mounted in a guidebracket 22, secured to the inner end of the cylinder 1. On the rod 21 is adjustably mounted a collar 22, which is adapted to be engaged by the disk 5 on the end of the hollow piston-rod 3, whereby when the piston is brought to a full-release position by the release-spring 4:, as shown in Fig. 1, the power of said spring will be applied to the operating-rod 21 through said disk 5 and will cause said rod to firmly engage the foot or clutch member 19 of the bell-crank lever 18 with the upper side of the extension 9 of the pushbar 7, thereby holding said bar against casual movement which might be occasioned by a sudden jarring of the car, thus causing the push-bar to unnecessarily take up slack, as hereinbefore described.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction and operation of the invention will be readily understood without requiring a more extended explanation.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

-Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a braking mechanism, the combination with the push-bar having a toothed extension, of a bracket adapted to slidably support the same, a retaining-latch pivoted to said bracket and adapted to engage said toothed extension and normally hold the same in its adjusted positions, means whereby said retaining-latch is disengaged from said push-bar extension, and a concussion-clutch pivoted to said bracket whereby said bar is held against inopportunely taking up slack, substantially as described.

2. In a braking mechanism, the combination with the push-bar having a toothed extension, of a bracket adapted to slidably support the same, a retaining-latch adapted to engage said toothed extension and normally hold the same in its adjusted positions, a bell-crank lever adapted to engage said retaining-latch, means whereby said bell-crank lever is manually operated to disengage said retaining-latch from said push bar extension, and means whereby said push-bar is held against forward movement which would result in the same taking up slack at the wrong time, substantially as described.

3. In a braking mechanism, the combination with the push-bar having a toothed extension, of a bracket adapted to slidably support the same, a retaining-latch adapted to engage said toothed extension and normally hold the same in its adjusted positions, a bell-crank lever adapted to engage said retaining-latch, a weight carried by said bell crank lever whereby the same will be caused to normally engage said retaining-latch with said push-bar extension to hold the same in its adjusted positions, and a hand-operating rod connected to said bell-crank lever whereby the same is operated to disengage said retaininglatch from said push-bar extension, substantially as described.

4. In a braking mechanism, the combination with the push-bar of a concussion-clutch adapted to be engaged with said push-bar, said clutch consisting of a suitably-pivoted bellcrank lever onearm of which forms a clutchfoot, an operating-rod connected to the other arm of said lever, and means whereby the opposite end of said rod will be actuated by the piston-rod of said brake mechanism when the same is in full-release position, substantially as described.

5. In a braking mechanism, the combination with the push-bar having a toothed extension, of a bracket adapted to slidably support said push-bar extension, a manually-operated retaining-latch adapted to hold said push-bar in its adjusted positions, a concussion-clutch adapted to be engaged with the toothed extension of said push-bar, said clutch consisting of a pivotally-mounted bell-crank lever, the short arm of which forms a clutch member, to engage said push-bar extension, an operating-rod connected with the long arm of said bell-crank lever, an adjustable collar arranged on the opposite end of said rod in position to be engaged. by a disk carried by my hand in presence of two subscribing Witthe piston rod of sald braklng mechanism nesses. When said rod is in full-release position, and

i a stop-lug formed on said bell-crank lever OHAb' FISHER whereby the opposite movement of the same Witnesses: will be limited, substantially asdescribed. BENJ. G. CoWL,

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set (3. H. GRIESBAUER. 

